Ohhhhh my moly.

If I were the demanding type I’d demand that you make these immediately. I’m not, of course so I’ll just strongly suggest it.

The peaches are so good this year and I bought more than I’ll ever be able to eat, so I wanted to some up with something to do with [...]]]>

Ohhhhh my moly.

If I were the demanding type I’d demand that you make these immediately. I’m not, of course so I’ll just strongly suggest it.

The peaches are so good this year and I bought more than I’ll ever be able to eat, so I wanted to some up with something to do with them. This is based on the apple crisp recipe, but with more of the crumble part so that you end up with a crust. It is OH so good.

Gather:

• 2 medium-to-large peaches, chopped
• 1/3 cup Craisins
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

To make:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and chop the peaches, then put them in a saucepan with the Craisins, cornstarch and sugar. Bring it all up to a nice bubble and let it cook till it thickens, then set aside
2. Cream butter and sugar, then mix in remaining ingredients — it will look coarse like a crumble topping
3. Take two cups of crumble mix and press into a greased 8×8 dish and bake till it’s lightly browned, around 10-12 minutes, then spread fruit mixture over crust. Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture over the top and bake till that’s lightly browned, about another 15-18 minutes or so

Fast and good! How can you beat that?

Hello, lovelies!

Not to get all Bob Ross-ey on you, but these are happy little muffins. It’s a Paula Deen recipe (that involves only 3 Tbsp. butter, I might add) and were apparently quite a hit at The Yankee’s office. Yay!

You will need:

It is also from an era when food wasn’t asked to [...]]]> This recipe comes from my great aunt Eva who named it thusly. Or perhaps she got it from her mother, my great grandma, who named it thusly? Either way, who am I to argue? It is, indeed, one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make.

It is also from an era when food wasn’t asked to look pretty for the camera.

Obviously.

Gather together:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups fruit (cut up; don’t drain)

And then:

1. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt; cut in butter like you’re making biscuits, or pulse in a food processor, then stir in milk till well combined
2. Pour batter into a buttered cast iron skillet or baking dish and top with fruit and its juice
3. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes; sprinkle sugar on top for the last few minutes of baking

See? SEE? How crazy easy is that? And at the end you get this?

No brainer.

Try not to be blown away by the beauty of that picture, okay?

I saw bottled simple syrup for sale the other day for a kind of ridiculous price and I was kind of horrified. Its name is no accident, folks; this stuff is crazy easy to make.

Ready for this one?

The end. [...]]]>

Try not to be blown away by the beauty of that picture, okay?

I saw bottled simple syrup for sale the other day for a kind of ridiculous price and I was kind of horrified. Its name is no accident, folks; this stuff is crazy easy to make.

Ready for this one?

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

The end. See?

I fill my glass Pyrex to the one cup mark, then pour in one cup of sugar, and microwave. I leave a chopstick in it while microwaving because it helps the bubbles escape as it comes close to a boil, and because it’s handy dandy for stirring it every so often. Just microwave the syrup for a minute or so at a time, stirring after each minute, till the sugar is completely dissolved. Then set on the counter to cool. That’s it! I store mine in a Wilton squeeze bottle, but any bottle or jar will work just fine.

Now you’re all set to make key lime amaretto sours! Iced coffee! Key lime margaritas! The possibilities are endless.

This recipe is from the fabulous Magee. The fabulous Magee is the mother of my fabulous friend Lissa (perhaps you’ve heard of her here? Or here?). This is her recipe for caramel corn and it is to die for. Crazy good. The Yankee doesn’t like caramel corn (should I call a neurologist?) and of course [...]]]>

This recipe is from the fabulous Magee. The fabulous Magee is the mother of my fabulous friend Lissa (perhaps you’ve heard of her here? Or here?). This is her recipe for caramel corn and it is to die for. Crazy good. The Yankee doesn’t like caramel corn (should I call a neurologist?) and of course the Kiddo doesn’t (since it’s not Cheerios), so I cut the recipe down to involve just one bag of popcorn, but I doubled the amount of caramel because hey, it’s caramel. So here’s what I used:

• 1 bag popcorn
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. white Karo syrup
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

To make the goodness:

1. Pop the popcorn and dump onto a parchment-lined baking sheet
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan with sugar and Karo syrup, then boil for five minutes without stirring
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda
4. Pour over popcorn carefully — this stuff is crazy hot and sticky; dangerous combo (just ask my pinkie finger)
5. Bake at 250F for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes (the stirring will really help evenly coat the popcorn, so don’t worry if it’s not too even to start with)
6. Slide parchment paper off cookie sheet (again, carefully) onto a rack and let cool. Store in an airtight container if any lasts that long

For the sake of reference, here are Magee’s original amounts:

• 4 bags microwave popcorn (6 quarts)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white Karo syrup
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda

This is the most popular AND the easiest dessert I make. Isn’t that a great combination? It’s the Yankee’s favorite and my daddy’s favorite, so this gets made a lot during the summer. And it’s crazy easy. This is the recipe my grandmother taught me:

You need:

You know… like bread pudding, but biscuits? And OH MAH GAH this is amazing. This may be the ultimate comfort food. And yet another recipe that tastes a million times better than it looks.

See, my fabulous sister got me these books from Cades Cove, which is my most favorite place on earth. It’s [...]]]>

You know… like bread pudding, but biscuits? And OH MAH GAH this is amazing. This may be the ultimate comfort food. And yet another recipe that tastes a million times better than it looks.

See, my fabulous sister got me these books from Cades Cove, which is my most favorite place on earth. It’s home in every sense of the word. I’ve been picnicking at Carter-Shields as long as I can remember, and The Yankee and I love taking Kiddo there now to splash around and count “water spiders” down by the mill.

ANYHOO… the books. The books are Recipes, Remedies and Rumors from the Cades Cove Preservation Association. And they’re fantastic. Poison snake bite cure for dogs? In there. Squirrel dumplings? You bet. But also pork tenderloin, chicken and dumplings, fried potato cakes, you name it.

And my new favorite: biscuit pudding! This is criminally easy:

• 5 cooked homemade leftover biscuits, crumbled
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Assemble your ingredients, then:

1. In a medium bowl beat 2 eggs, and add sugar, milk, nutmeg and vanilla and mix
2. Crumble in biscuits and stir
3. Pour into a greased 8×8 pan and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes

See what I’m saying? So easy. And so, so good.

She is out to make us all overdose on chocolate.

And I love her for it.

The Yankee bought me her cookbook for Christmas and it’s fantastic. This chocolate sheet cake (also on her site here) was the first recipe I tried out of the book and it [...]]]> It’s time to speak the truth about the Pioneer Woman:

She is out to make us all overdose on chocolate.

And I love her for it.

The Yankee bought me her cookbook for Christmas and it’s fantastic. This chocolate sheet cake (also on her site here) was the first recipe I tried out of the book and it certainly didn’t disappoint! Try it yourself.

You will need for the cake:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 heaping Tbsp (heaping) cocoa
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup boiling water
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

You will need for the icing:

• ½ cups finely chopped pecans (I omitted; Yankee is not a fan)
• 1 ¾ sticks butter
• 4 heaping Tbsps. cocoa
• 6 Tbsp milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) powdered sugar

To make the cake:

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add cocoa and stir
3. Add boiling water to saucepan and boil mixture for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Pour this mixture over the flour mixture and gently stir to cool it off.
4. In a separate boil, mix together buttermilk, beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla; stir this mixture into the chocolate mixture
5. Pour batter into a jelly roll pan (I used a 9×13 Pyrex for thicker layers) and bake at 350F; a jelly roll pan will take about 20 minutes; add about ten minutes onto that for a 9×13

While the cake is in the oven, make the icing:

1. Finely chop pecans, if using
2. Melt butter in a saucepan (same pan from earlier is fine) and add cocoa, stirring to combine
3. Turn off heat, then add milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir, and then stir in pecans if using
4. Pour over just-out-of-the-oven cake, working quickly because the icing will quickly develop this wonderful glaze-y crust on top that is phenomenal

Nutritional information: one bazillion calories (roughly) per serving. And worth it.

I came across a Food & Wine recipe for flourless peanut butter cookies in The Tennessean over Christmas and jotted it down. Then I thought — hey! NUTELLA! Because, you know, it’s Nutella. How could it NOT be good?

Because these are flourless they crisp up a lot as they cool. You can control the thickness [...]]]>

I came across a Food & Wine recipe for flourless peanut butter cookies in The Tennessean over Christmas and jotted it down. Then I thought — hey! NUTELLA! Because, you know, it’s Nutella. How could it NOT be good?

Because these are flourless they crisp up a lot as they cool. You can control the thickness with cooking time; around 10 or 11 minutes gets you a thicker cookie; more than 12 minutes gets you a crisp, thin wafer. Both are crispy after they cool, and both are fabulous. Make a tray of each and see what you like.

You will need:

• 1 cup Nutella
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Seriously. It takes about 19 seconds to pull these together, and the mixing part is so easy that this is a great one for kids who like to help.

Mix all ingredients together and drop by tablespoon on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F, but don’t go far! These go from cookie to crisp in seconds, so watch for when they rise and start cracking on top. Take them out just after cracking for a thicker result, or let them rise, crack and fall for thinner crisps.

I’m kind of at a loss for words with these. Can you imagine how good they were by looking at that picture? Because let me assure you… they were BETTER than whatever you’re thinking.

Kiddo and I wanted to do something lovely for our local police force because they are awesome. They always take the [...]]]> Ohai, cupcakes.

I’m kind of at a loss for words with these. Can you imagine how good they were by looking at that picture? Because let me assure you… they were BETTER than whatever you’re thinking.

Kiddo and I wanted to do something lovely for our local police force because they are awesome. They always take the time to say hi to Kiddo and all the other kids when they’re cruising our neighborhood, they do all they can to help with the issue of our neighbor’s dog that will. not. quit. barking. ever. and they solved both lame crimes of which we’ve been a victim in the last year. They’re awesome. So what better for the boys in blue than blue velvet cupcakes?

I found this recipe at the incredible Sprinkle Bakes. Aren’t those great? She was SO helpful in helping me adapt the recipe to the food coloring I had to that perfect Cookie Monster shade of blue she showcases. It’s exactly what I wanted them to look like! She adapted her cupcake recipe from Paula Deen’s recipe; I adapted it with Sprinkle Bake’s help only to use all gel food coloring. The frosting is all Sprinkle Bakes.

You will need for the cupcakes:

• 2 cups sugar
• ½ pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp Wilton royal blue gel food coloring
• 1 small dab of violet gel food coloring (I dipped in a toothpick and used that much)
• 2 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

You will need for the frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (I hate sifting; I whir it up in the food processor instead to aerate and get lumps out)

To make the blue velvety goodness:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and line cupcake pans with liners — I got 26 cupcakes out of this
2. Cream sugar and butter in mixing bowl till light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg
3. Mix cocoa and food coloring together to make a paste — this took a while to mix thoroughly with all gel, but it came together nicely; add this paste to sugar mixture and mix well again
4. Sift (or buzz in food processor) flour and salt, and add to creamed mixture a bit at a time, alternating with buttermilk, then mix in vanilla
5. Combine baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl and add to cake batter; mix just to combine
6. Scoop thick batter into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full, and bake for probably 25-30 minutes, but start checking at 20 — mine were done at about the 22/23 minute mark; watch for toothpick inserted in center to come out clean
7. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow cool completely on a wire rack

Now make frosting!

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer until nice and smooth
2. Add sugar gradually and beat on low till combined, then beat on high speed until very light and very fluffy

Frosting time! I use a giant star tip from Bake it Pretty, or The Place I Could Spend All My Monies (and the stardust). I dusted on a little edible blue glitter on top because hey, why not.